1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel (PDP) having an opposing discharge structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a PDP that may be easily formed, has high light transmittance and luminescence efficiency, and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional plasma display panel (PDP), a rear substrate and a front substrate are assembled facing each other, an inert gas is filled in a discharge space between the rear substrate and the front substrate, and glow discharge is generated in the discharge space.
In more detail, the rear substrate is provided by forming an address electrode on a rear substrate, covering the address electrode with a dielectric layer, forming a barrier rib on the dielectric layer and forming a phosphor layer within the areas bounded by the barrier rib. Additionally, the front substrate facing the rear substrate is provided by forming an electrode pair having a sustain electrode and a scan electrode on a front substrate, the electrode pair being orthogonal to the address electrode, and covering the electrode pair with a stacked structure including a dielectric layer and a protective layer.
The PDP generates plasma from the glow discharge in the discharge space. Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) rays are generated by the plasma, and the phosphor is excited by the VUV rays. Subsequently an image is displayed using red, green and blue light generated by the phosphor.
The sustain electrodes and the scan electrodes formed on the front substrate of the PDP are typically opaque. Accordingly, visible light emitted by the phosphor is blocked by the sustain electrodes and the scan electrodes, decreasing light transmittance. When a PDP has a surface discharge structure, high voltage is required and luminescence efficiency is low during sustain discharge. In order to overcome these problems, a PDP having an opposing discharge structure is required, as the following operational explanation illustrates.
Glow discharge is generated by applying a voltage, higher than discharge firing voltage, between two electrodes. Once the discharge is generated, voltage distribution between a cathode and an anode has a distorted form due to a space charge effect generated on the dielectric layer in the periphery of the cathode and the anode. That is, regions of a cathode sheath, an anode sheath, and a positive column are formed between the two electrodes. Most of the voltage applied to the two electrodes for the discharge is consumed in the cathode sheath region in the periphery of the cathode. A portion of the voltage is consumed in the anode sheath region in the periphery of the anode. The positive column region is formed between the cathode sheath region and the anode sheath region, and consumes negligible voltage.
A PDP having an opposing discharge structure increases a positive column generated between an anode sheath and a cathode sheath during glow discharge, thus improving luminescence efficiency compared to a PDP having a surface discharge structure.
The above information disclosed in this background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore may contain information that does not form prior art known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.